Judo Strategy

The answer lies in a simple but powerful lesson: rather than oppose strength to strength, successful challengers use their opponents' size and power to bring them down. This is the message at the heart of Judo Strategy. Based on extensive research by Harvard Business School professor David Yoffie and research associate Mary Kwak, Judo Strategy introduces a ground-breaking approach to competition that shows companies how to win against imposing odds.

Using vivid examples from companies ranging from Wal-Mart and Charles Schwab to Juniper Networks and Palm Computing, the authors demonstrate how managers can translate the core principles of judo -- a martial art that prizes skill not size -- into a winning business strategy. By mastering movement, managers learn to seize the lead and make the most of their initial advantage. By maintaining balance, they can successfully engage with opponents and respond to rivals' attacks. And finally, by exploiting leverage, managers can transform their competitors' strengths into strategic liabilities.

This book will help any company -- large or small, new or old, virtual or physical -- become a more effective competitor. In addition to developing the concept of judo strategy, it presents a defensive primer -- in the form of "sumo strategy" -- for companies facing judo attacks. Packed with the insights of world-class managers and strategists, Judo Strategy does double duty: It can help you become a giant-killer, while also teaching you to protect your hard-fought position from challengers in the wings.

Contents

• Preface ix
• Acknowledgments xiii
• 1 An Introduction to Judo Strategy 1

• 2 Movement: Don't Invite Attack, Define the Competitive Space, and Follow Through Fast 19
• 3 Balance: Grip Your Opponent, Avoid Tit-for-Tat, and Push When Pulled 43
• 4 Leverage: Leverage Your Opponent's Assets, Partners, and Competitors 65

• 5 Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky: Mastering Movement at Palm Computing 93
• 6 Rob Glaser: Maintaining Balance at RealNetworks 119
• 7 Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie: Maximizing Leverage at CNET Networks 147
• Part III Responding to Judo Strategy 173
• 8 How to Beat a Judo Master: From Judo to Sumo Strategy 175
• 9 A User's Guide to Judo Strategy 201
• Appendix List of Interviews 213
• Notes 217
• Index 231
• About the Authors